The Dream of the Thylacine by Margaret Wild

Arresting and beautiful, this picture book is a shimmering encounter with the Tasmanian tiger, a lament for a lost species, and a compelling evocation of the place of animals in nature

Celebrating the Australian landscape, this book interposes arresting text, images of the last known thylacine in a concrete cage, and sweeping color paintings of the animal in its natural environment. Two picture book masters use sparse text and powerful images to confront environmental issues, in a unique, heartbreaking way. Intense, poetic, and beautiful, it will haunt readers.

Margaret Wild has published more than 30 picture books, including Kiss Kiss!, Our Granny, and Piglet and Mama. Ron Brooks is a picture book artist with a career spanning more than 35 years. His memoir is Drawn from the Heart and his illustrated books include the Henry books by Margaret Perversi, Motor Bill and the Lovely Caroline by Jenny Wagner, and Honey and Bear by Ursula Dubosarsky. Wild and Brooks previously collaborated on Fox and Old Pig.

Unrated Critic Reviews for The Dream of the Thylacine

Fancy Goods

Confronting us with the imprisoned and suffering thylacine, pleading for freedom and understanding, Brooks then contrasts this with the animal’s exhilarating transformation through the wilds of its imagination—pointing towards a universal resilience of spirit in the face of certain death.

Gr 2–5—Wild and Brooks combine lyrical language with contrasting illustration styles to focus on an animal not often discussed: the Thylacine (also known as the Tasmanian Tiger). Wild's minimalist poetry packs a punch (although some of the lines are a bit Yoda-like in their structure-"Trapped am ...

Gr 2–5—Wild and Brooks combine lyrical language with contrasting illustration styles to focus on an animal not often discussed: the Thylacine (also known as the Tasmanian Tiger). Wild's minimalist poetry packs a punch (although some of the lines are a bit Yoda-like in their structure-"Trapped am ...

Gr 2–5—Wild and Brooks combine lyrical language with contrasting illustration styles to focus on an animal not often discussed: the Thylacine (also known as the Tasmanian Tiger). Wild's minimalist poetry packs a punch (although some of the lines are a bit Yoda-like in their structure-"Trapped am ...